U-Boat Watches was founded in 1942 out of necessity, when founder and designer, Ilvo Fontana was commissioned by the Italian Government in 1942 to design a watch for use by pilots of the Italian navy. His plan was to produce a watch with an emphasis on high visibility, as he knew the pilots would encounter low light and bad weather conditions.
Unfortunately his dream was never realised and the designs lost, until in the year 2000 Ilvo’s grandson Italo decided to develop the U-BOAT watch as a tribute to his grandfather. Though based on the original designs, slight alterations have been made to make U-BOAT as we know it today; namely large, sturdy watches with bold designs. With their trademark large crown on the left side of the watch case and outstanding technical specifications, U-Boat Watches are designed to stand out from the crowd and stand up to the most demanding climatic conditions.
U-BOAT Classico watches capture the essence of the brand’s popular style with their bold military-inspired design, wide dial, and often a metal plate affixed to the strap. Timeless and iconic, the Classico is clean and uniquely styled model with its characteristic case, crown security device, on the right hand side, as well as the sandwich dial, constructed of two discs, one is superimposed on top of the other.
Classico represents Fontana’s idea of the pure, timeless design that does not fade and die like passing trends and it is designed for individuals with strong personal style. The new Classico boasts a tough temper thanks to the 48 mm black matt ceramic case on the outside and internally in black steel. The back of the case is sealed with 7 external screws, with sapphire crystal showing the movement balancer. The deep black dial features spheres and indexes in beige colour treated with superluminova. In addition to this an extra counter showing the 24 hours of the day has been added to the dial. Last but no least a calf leather strap with a deployant buckle in burnished steel after the IPB treatment.
